College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences

Power Paths is a documentary that follows the efforts of American Indian tribes as they explore ways to bring renewable energy projects into their communities. From the Sioux of Great Plains in the midwest to the Navajo and Hopi of the southwest, tribes are fighting to protect their land, air and water from the harmful impacts of mining and burning coal.

Visiting artist Barry Green will present a double bass recital with UNI faculty artist Polina Khatsko, piano. Barry Green, a native Californian, served as Principal Bassist of the Cincinnati Symphony for 28 years and Professor of Bass at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. As former Executive Director of the International Society of Bassists, he is currently directing a young bassist outreach program for the San Francisco Symphony Education Department, teaches privately at Stanley Intermediate School in Lafayette and at the University of California at Santa Cruz and has organized the Northern California Bass Club. He is currently Principal Bassist with the California Symphony, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and active as a bass soloist and teacher. This event is free and open to the public.

John Pearson, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, will present "Perspectives of Iowa Savannas for Restoring a Pre-Settlement Landscape." Savanna was a major plant community of early Iowa occupying more than 2.4 million acres. Types of savanna differed ranging from park-like areas with widely distributed tress interspersed with prairie vegetation and virtually no shrub layer to dense thickets of woody species within a prairie matrix with a few stunted open growth trees. Oak savanna is regarded as a high priority for conservation because no original savanna currently exists. Interest in savanna restoration is increasing, but selecting sites to restore is influenced by variety of definitions and concepts. Pearson will explore contrasting concepts in savanna posed by historic maps, modern soil surveys and floristics, and relate them to the use of 1832-1859 General Land Office surveys, Mollic Hapludalf soil maps and plant indicator species in restoration. Refreshments will be provided.

Andrew Van Fleet and Kurt Vander Wiel will talk about how creativity factors into their specialty: the emerging User Experience (UX) field, which involves creating digital solutions for human interface in touchscreens, mobile devices, advanced vehicle dashboards and rich internet applications. Both UNI graduates, Van Fleet (’98) and Vander Wiel (’88) are leading partners of Visual Logic, a User Experience (UX) consulting firm based in Waterloo and serving clients worldwide. Combining their backgrounds in design (Andy) and computer science (Kurt), they will demonstrate how creativity plays a factor in everything they do.

Under the direction of conductor Robert Washut, the UNI Jazz Panthers will offer a spring concert. The concert will feature guest artist Matt Harris, composer and arranger. Harris graduated with a BM from the University of Miami and a MM from the Eastman School of Music. He moved to Los Angeles after touring, writing, and recording with jazz legends, Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich. Matt is co-director of Jazz Studies at California State University Northridge, and is a current faculty member at Idyllwild Arts summer jazz workshop. This event is free and open to the public.

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education is co-sponsoring a traveling exhibit, “BESA: Albanian Muslims Who Saved Jews During World War II, Photographs by Norman Gershman.” The exhibit features 41 photographic images with accompanying text. It was developed by the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion Museum in New York City.

In 2003, renowned photographer Norman Gershman embarked on a project to find and photograph Albanian nationals and refugees from neighboring countries during World War II. By 2004, after two photographic journeys to Albania and Kosovo, he had discovered roughly 150 Muslim families who had taken part in the rescue of the Jews. During the period of 1943-1945 it is believed that the people of Greater Albania saved 2,000-3,000 Jews. The Muslim religious belief Besa, or Honor, is the basis for these righteous deeds of valor. Besa, the ancient code of honor, requires an Albanian Muslim to endanger his or her own life, if necessary, to save the life of anyone seeking asylum. Besa is, to this day, the highest moral law of the region, superseding religious differences, blood feuds and tribal traditions.

Grout Museum admission: $10 for adults; $5 for veterans, active duty personnel, and children 4-13; free to museum members and children 3 and under.

Film screenings and panel discussions on rescue during the Holocaust will take place on the evenings of April 24 (Old Central Ballroom, Maucker Union), May 22 (Grout Museum) and June 12 (location TBD).

Faculty artist Yu-Ting Su will coordinate this chamber music concert featuring performances by faculty and guest artists. This event is free and open to the public.

Kristen McNutt, recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Research Paper on gender, will present “We're Taking Slut Back: SlutWalks, the Rape Script and the Linguistic Reclamation of Slut.” McNutt is a graduate student in Women's and Gender Studies. The WGS program sponsors the Current Research on Women forum series. Faculty, staff, students and the community are invited for informal presentation and discussion.

The UNI Interpreters Theatre will present the play Brother Wolf. Blending folklore, myth, bluegrass music and mountain religion, Brother Wolf is an Appalachian adventure tale based on the story of Beowulf. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited.

The UNI Community Music School will host their spring solo festival. For more information on this event, contact Cindi Mason at cynthia.mason@uni.edu.